Journal Article #1

Letcher, M. (2010). Poetry and Verse Novels for Young Adults. English Journal, 99( 3), 87-90.

A Summary of an abstract from the National Council of Teachers of English Conference on College Composition and Communication January 2010.

The abstract describes some of the poetry that is popular among Young Adult readers. The poetry described has been cause for consternation among teachers, according to the abstract, because poetry is difficult to teach and learn. This abstract describes a variety of verse novels and what topics are addressed. Verse novels are “an extremely popular, and growing, subgenre of YA literature…” The topics that verse novelists write about are topics many teachers do not want to get into with their students, in my opinion. They are hard topics to address with a classroom full of students with varying experiences and varying parental involvement and family structures. Ellen Hopkins writes poetry that “opens a window to the emotions and desires of young people trapped in tragic circumstances, including abusive relationships, prostitution and drug abuse.” These are topics of high interest to YA, but high discomfort for many teachers. The abstract describes that the verse has voices that YA can identify with but may be too intense and raw for many YA readers. Methamphetamine addiction is a topic of two of Hopkins’ novels.

Sonya Sones has also written verse that deals with emotional topics. Her writing raises questions about mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it. Many authors choose to write verse novels “because of the immediate and visceral nature of poetry. Two verse novelists mentioned in the abstract are Patricia McCormick and Margarita Engle who deal with real world scenarios that readers may not realize or have an understanding of at their age. These verse novels may put their life in perspective. McCormick deals with child sex slavery in Nepal and Engle deals with the Cuban struggle for freedom. Some verse novelists write about YA experiences that I feel most teachers would be comfortable teaching about. Experiences they may have had when they were the student’s age. Sones’ novel “What My Mother Doesn’t Know” (Simon, 2001) is about insecurities of a ninth grade girl. This topic seems to be a topic most YA can relate to. The abstract describes Sones verse novels as being appealing to boys and girls. It also describes them as being excellent for the reluctant reader. So, I think that a teacher needs to read the abstract of the verse novels or the verse novels themselves before prejudging whether they would teach them or not.

Thalia Chaltas’s novel is about a time period when young adults tend to struggle to belong in school and at home. Chaltas’s novel deals with witnessing violent acts at home and feeling powerless to it. Unfortunately too many students witness violence in their homes. This novel may help students feel as if they are not alone, but have some control over it. Verse novels also can have the historical perspective. Karen Hesse’s novels probe into the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and WWII. The use of verse novels instead of traditional historical fiction may make the content more accessible for the reluctant reader of that particular genre. Jen Bryant has also used verse novels for historical content. She has written a novel about the Scopes Monkey Trial. Dealing with the death, seems to be a topic that many YA verse novelists write about. Jen Bryant wrote about a mother dying and the daughter’s thoughts and feelings about the death. Death is another topic that some teachers are not comfortable talking about. “Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall” by Wendy Mass (Little, 2007) takes the topic of dealing with death to a whole new level. She writes as if the narrator is in and out of consciousness at the hospital, close to death. The ability to hear more than one voice can also be accomplished with verse novels. The portrayal of three girls being with, and dumped by the same guy is the topic of Tanya Lee Stone’s “A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl.” The three girls find that they entered the relationship with the same guy. Walter Dean Myers also uses various voices in “Street Love” (Amistad, 2006) to tell about love from different social classes. The section in the abstract titled “Using YA to Teach Poetic Forms” is helpful as it provides suggested resources for further reading. All in all, the abstract was not helpful.

This abstract basically provides information that can be found in the back of most books. However, the connection between poetry and verse novels is carried throughout the article, and supports the idea of incorporating literacy in the classroom. Teachers can build on the existing perceptions and interactions students already have between one another and their families. If teachers empower/promote their students to use their personal understanding and cultural backgrounds they will promote literacy in their classrooms through acceptance. The authors in this article can be used to assist young adult readers to better understand character development and storylines by using their personal experiences. By exploring uncomfortable topics/situations teachers can assist readers in eliminating personal bias and misunderstandings. Overall, this article illustrates various examples of authors to promote literacy for the young adult readers in the classroom.